In the picturesque landscape of the Oberennsalm, at the foot of the Ennskraxn, the Enns rises at 1,783 metres above sea level. It meanders gently through the the Ennsalmen before it joins the Pleisling at the Ennslehen Farm. About eight kilometres before that, the Marbach also flows into the Enns. The Marbach spring supplies Flachau and several surrounding villages with first-class drinking water.
Every time I hike along the crystal-clear Marbach into the Almtal valley of the same name, I realise what a treasure we actually have with this water here in Flachau.
The Marbach spring is fed by the majestic mountains and peaks of the surrounding Niedere Tauern. Between 130 and 1,000 litres of this precious water flow every second, depending on the weather conditions and the season. The entire catchment area of the spring covers an area of about 2,700 hectares. This consists mainly of untouched land and areas used for moderate alpine farming. This is the main reason for the exceptional purity of this spring.
Only part of it is used to supply Flachau with drinking water, while the rest flows into the Enns via the Marbach and the Pleislingbach. In addition to Flachau, the communities of Eben im Pongau and St. Johann im Pongau also benefit from this high-quality drinking water source.
To ensure that the water from the Marbach spring meets the highest quality standards, it is regularly subjected to strict controls. For this purpose, samples are continuously taken and thoroughly analysed. The result is impressive, as the water has a remarkable natural purity and very low nitrate levels. It has an optimal water hardness and pH value.
We can count ourselves lucky that it’s always fresh and available at any time from the local water supply. This is not the case everywhere in the world, which is why I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to use drinking water from the Flachau water supply instead of plastic bottles from the supermarket. Our “tap water” not only scores in terms of freshness, taste and enjoyment, but also has many advantages in the area of sustainability: it is available locally and does not produce any waste.
Info
For those who, like me, enjoy being out in nature, I have a few tips on where you can consciously experience Flachau’s abundance of water:
Cycling along the Enns Cycle Path: Link to the following page:
https://www.flachau.com/en/summer/e-mountain-biking/all-a-mountain-biker-needs/
Hiking along the crystal-clear Marbach up to the Marbachalmen: Link to the following page:
https://www.flachau.com/en/dc/detail/Tour/flachauwinkl-marbachtal/
Dive in and refresh yourself in the Flachauwinkl and Reitdorf bathing lakes: Link to the following page:
https://www.flachau.com/en/summer/outdoors/more-summer-activities/
Have fun!
Bildnachweis: Gerald Oberreiter, Fabia Huber, Elisabeth Hartl und Andreas Meyer